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The Czech Air Force can Keep its Saab 39 Gripen Fighters for Free, According to Sweden's Ambassador

The Czech Air Force can Keep its Saab 39 Gripen Fighters for Free, According to Sweden's Ambassador

The Swedish ambassador to the Czech Republic, Fredrik Jörgensen, told Seznam Správy web page that the Czech Republic can keep the Saab 39 Gripen fighters that it leased from Sweden for free. The announcement comes as Czech is considering purchasing 24 fighters as the lease on the Gripens expires in 2027. The Czech Republic and Sweden signed a new agreement in 2014 to extend the NATO nation's lease deal for 14 Gripen C/Ds for another 12 years. The service decided to upgrade its fleet to the MS20 configuration in 2015. In 2018, the MS20 upgrade was completed.

When the Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999, it needed to replace its existing Soviet-built MiG-21 fleet with aircraft that met NATO standards. In 2000, the Czech Republic began evaluating a number of aircraft, including the F-16, F/A-18, Mirage 2000, Eurofighter Typhoon and the Gripen. The Czech government announced the selection of the Saab 39 Gripen fighter in December 2001, reportedly influenced by Gripen International"s generous financing and offset program. On June 14, 2004, it was announced that the Czech Republic would lease 14 Gripens that had been modified to meet NATO standards.

The Czech Air Force can Keep its Saab 39 Gripen Fighters for Free, According to Sweden

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a Swedish aerospace and defence company"s light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft. Beyond the aircraft"s single 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon, the Gripen is compatible with a variety of armaments, including air-to-air missiles like the AIM-9 Sidewinder, and air-to-ground missiles like the AGM-65 Maverick, and anti-ship missiles like the RBS-15.

FNSS